You hit the nail on the head!!! All the variables you listed in (c) (plenty more too) are the areas people don't like to admit to after they blow there motor.

Not to mention that we see probably 20 (Exaggeration for point of percentages) of the same people in these forums complaining about tunes and blowing motors from 08 to 11. In those 4 years there were appromixately 12,000 STi's sold in the US. Therefore you are talking about 0.16 percent of the total cars sold in this timeframe of 4 years had this issue or .6 percent of cars per year (20 per year at 3,000 cars sold). And I bet this percent that did have the problem, beat the living S**T out of their cars right off the lot, tuned, modded, etc..., then wonder why it blew and needs a re-build.

Gotta love the people who "drove it like they stole it", the complain when the car dies or runs like crap. Like I said in my previous post - I have 23K on my stock 2011 STi and it runs great! I broke it in per Subaru guidelines, hit all my scheduled maintances, and STILL HAVE THE OEM TUNE!

You are both so right , lots of fast & furious types expecting these cars to hold up to any abuse.. I followed all the service and break in criteria to the letter. Im 32 no douche bag racer boy. , dealer just called me and said it WASN'T the RINGLANDS .... so the " bad stock tune " or the boogy man ringlands weren't my problem . According to the dealer piston 3&4 were just installed wrong during assembly. Notching the cylinder walls just enough to create blow by and perhaps maybe even hitting the valves. They said this failure was a first for them. Short block and valves are going in as we speak.